Decadence CD:

In Nov. 2014, Michael Shay released the compilation "DECADENCE - TEN YEARS OF MUSIC 2002-20012".  This CD documents the breadth of Shay's vision and experience over a decade by showcasing tracks from seven previous releases that explore genres as diverse as bluegrass, Balkan, rock, folk, country, Latin, tango, swing, Catalan, Indian, Andean, and classical.  "Decadence" features tracks from albums which Shay released as Texas Express (2012), The Just Desserts (2008-2010), Alive and Well (2004), and Michael Shay (2002).  In support of this release, Shay toured with a trio in summer 2015 to NM, AZ, CA, OR, WA, ID, CO, and TX.  The band included Ryan Hagler on contrabass and vocals and Donald Regnier on resonator guitar. 

   "Some say that traveling by night is like thought itself, and something like that happened to me listening to this disc, carried by a mood of introspection.  It seems the goal of “Decadence” was about finding the "something" that unifies diverse genres, and the disc achieves this very well.  One doesn't feel at all the sensation of it being a “potpourri” but instead that that elusive "something" was discovered…. what exactly is that?!”  - fan review

   “Being in Austin and hearing so many musicians is always a privilege, but honestly sometimes it all begins to sound the same as all the other bands playing in that particular genre.  Shay’s uniqueness shines as he offers so much variety in that respect, and amazingly, each genre that he presents sounds as though it is his favourite.  He really does step out of the box in that regard- of NOT being able to categorise his music as "this or that”!”  - fan review